The UK Vehicle Recovery website

<body> <p align="center"><b><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial"><big> <font size="5">  </font> </big></font> </b><font face="Arial" size="5"><b>The UK Vehicle Recovery Website</b></font></p> <p align="center">(This page needs a frame equipped browser)</p> <div align="center"> <center> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="779" id="AutoNumber1" height="12"> <tr> <td height="30" width="777" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" bordercolor="#000000"> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" size="4"> <b>Introduction</b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="19" width="777"> <p style="line-height: 150%"><font face="Times New Roman">Welcome to a celebration of Vehicle Recovery in the United Kingdom. Here you will find out, how the industry was formed, as well as reading the recollections of some of those involved. There is also a large collection of Pictures and Videos, of Recovery Vehicles, Tow Trucks, Breakdown Vehicles, Recovery Operators and the Incidents they dealt with. </font> <p style="line-height: 150%"><font face="Times New Roman">The '<a target="main" href="history/index.htm">History of Vehicle Recovery'</a> section deals with the emergence of the Motoring Organisations (or Clubs), like the AA, RAC and National Breakdown. Plus the formation of today's multimillion pound Breakdown, Rescue and Recovery industry. It also deals with Crane and Towing equipment manufactures and the Recovery Operator's Associations like AVRO and The RRRA. </font> <p style="line-height: 150%"><font face="Times New Roman">The <a target="main" href="galleryimages/index.htm">Picture Galleries</a> display both Vintage Commercial Vehicles and the very latest in modern 'Wreckers' There is also specialised image sections dealing with one recovery companies (National Rescue) vintage fleet and one showing some of the many vehicles built or modified to recover Bus and Coaches. Lastly there is a small, but growing video section.</font><p> <font face="Times New Roman"><b>Car rescuing' is as old as the car itself although a rescue then, was most likely to have been done with the aid of a horse.</b> Many of the first garages emerged from the blacksmith’s trade and automatically took to recovering their customer disabled vehicles. </font> </p> <p> <font face="Times New Roman">As the years went by, motorists would often rely on their own ingenuity to get back on the road. Failing that they would seek help from any passing motorist, or lastly call on a local garage.</font><font size="4"><br>  </font></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="19" width="777"> <img border="0" src="history/images/horse.jpg" width="800" height="433" alt="Early attempt at vehicle recovery with a flooded motor Car"></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="19" width="777"> <p align="justify"> <br> Some small local private <b>Car Clubs</b> sprung up and some are thought to have kept a ‘cash kitty’ to assist their stranded members, but that was about as organised as it got for the poor motorist. </p> <p align="justify"> <img border="0" src="history/images/aa.jpg" align="left" width="300" height="206" hspace="6" alt="Early AA Recovery Vehicle">As the twentieth century got underway, two motoring clubs would become large enough to have nationwide membership (they would no doubt say 'empire' wide). </p> <p align="right"> These were of course <b>The Automobile Association </b> (formed in 1905) and<b> The Royal Automobile Club </b>(formed in 1897 and named oyal in 1907) </p> <p align="justify">Both organisations were initially set up to help motorists to obtain fair treatment from the authorities. Although the organisations become more 'service' related as the years went by, both later also diversified into several non motoring areas (with varying success).</p> <p align="justify">The services they offered then however, bears little relationship to those offered by today's clubs. Both organisations would try to repair members vehicles, with the limited tools and parts their vehicle carried. Spares could often be collect from the many local garages and the nature of the vehicles was such that a block of wood, some clean dry cloth, a roll of insulating tape and piece of rope could fix almost any fault.</p> <p align="justify"> It was not until the fifties that those vehicles would be linked by radio (the AA in 1950 the RAC in 1958). Consequently patrols had to go to their box at prearranged times, to be allocated jobs. If a 'tow' was required, a local garage would be called and the member would pay.   </p> <p align="justify">The first to offer a limited <b>'get you home service'</b> was the RAC, in 1912. Members could apply for a brass token which when handed to a  RAC Repairer, would <i>"Bring the necessary assistance and will indemnify you as the owner of the disc, against the cost of hiring another car to get you and your party home"  </i></p> <p align="justify"> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1" width="777"> <p align="justify"></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="79" width="777"> <p align="center"><font size="4" color="#0000FF">Site Copyright Andy Lambert</p> <p align="center"><a target="_top" href="http://www.vehiclerecovery.org/">Click here</a> to return to main page</font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> </body>